Horse-collar



P. H. HICKS.

HORSE COLLAR.

APPLICATION FILED my 21.1911.

Patented Sept. 23, 1919.

frys.

FBI

PATRICK H. HICKS, or STATESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA.

HORSE-COLLAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 23, 1919.

Application filed July 21, 1917. Serial No. 182,012,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,PA'rR1oK I-I. HICKS, a citizen of the United States of America, a resident of Statesville, in the county of Iredell, State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horse-Collars, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, refer-. ence being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in horse collars and more particularly to means for reinforcing horse collars. The main object of the invention is to produce a very simple, neat and inexpensive reinforcing member, combined with a horse collar in such a manner that it greatly reinforces the weakest part of the collar structure, at the same time performing a number of other important functions, as will be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure I is a front elevation of a horse collar provided with my reinforcing member.

Fig. II is an inverted plan view of the collar.

Fig. III is a transverse section taken through the throat of the collar.

The collar herein shown is the standard type provided with the usual side members 1, and a throat 2' connecting said side members, the usual rim 3 being formed at the front of the collar. Hame-receiving recesses 4., formed in the side members 1, are continued under the throat 2 to receive the hame fasteners.

The throat is the weakest part of an ordinary collar, and it is subjected to severe strains when the collar is in service. As a consequence, the throat soon becomes misshapen -or warped and the ordinary collar eventually breaks at the throat. number of other disadvantages also result from the weakness of the throat of the ordinary collar, and all of these disadvantages are entirely overcome by the use of my reinforcing member.

The reinforcing member A is a sin le piece of sheet metal, arranged within t e recess under the throat of the collar and closely fitted to the wall of said recess to form a metal lining therefor. The reinforcing member is in the form of a bow and it is arched transversely, so as to conform closely to the configuration of the wall of the recess in which it is secured. The middle portion of the sheet metal reinforcing member, at the middle of the collar, is wider than the end portions thereof, said middle portion being extended outwardly from the recess 4 and closely fitted to the rim 3 of the collar, as shown most clearly in Figs. II and III. The weakest part of the throat of the collar is thus very greatly reinforced by the relatively wide middle portion of the reinforcing member.

The front orouter edge of the extended middle portion of the reinforcing member is turneddownwardly in front of the recess to provide a; downturned hame-retaining flange 5 below the rim of the collar. This downturned flange lies in front of the lower ends of the hames (not shown) and also in front of the hame fasteners. In addition to serving as a reinforcing element, the flange 5 retains the hames and hame-fasteners in the recess 4.

A rear flange 6, formed integral with and extending downwardly from the rear edge of the reinforcing member A, is slotted at 7 so as to constitute a loop for the reception of the pole strap, martingale strap, or the like. Straps of this kind can be secured in the slot 7, and it is therefore unnecessary to insert them through the collar.

The sheet metal reinforcing member A is preferably secured to the collar by means of screws 8 passing through the throat 2 and screwed into the reinforcing member, the outer ends of said screws being upset as shown in Fig. III. The heads at the inner ends of the screws are fitted to concave washers 9, and these washers are preferably sunk into the soft collar structure. The reinforcing member A is thus very firmly secured to the collar, but it can be easily removed therefrom by using a suitable tool to cut off the enlarged outer ends of the screws and thereafter removing the screws from the collar.

Many advantages are gained by combining my simple reinforcing member with the elements of a collar in the manner herein shown and described. The reinforcing member lengthens the life of a collar, prevents the throat of the collar from breaking, holds the collar in shape, prevents the I lar from twisting and warping, prevents the hame fasteners from wearing the leather or stitching on the collar, prevents'the collar from becoming misshapen and makingsore shoulders on the horse, prevents the collar from becoming narrow or being mashed out of shape after itis expo d to rain while in use on the horse, prevents the collar from breaking. under severe strains when handled roughly, prevents the collar from bending and tearing the sweat pad and lengthens the life of the sweat pad, prevents the collar from becomingtoo narrow at the throat after being used for 'a long tin1e,'and

Copies '01 this patent may be obtained for of the collar to receive the hame fasteners,

a sheet metal reinforcing member arranged Within the recess under the. throat of the .collarand closely fitted to the wall thereof so as to form a metal lining therefor, said sheet metalrelnforcing member being 111131181 form of a bow and arched transversely so as to conform closely to the configuration of the wall of said recess, the middle portion of said sheet metal reinforcing member being extended outwardly from the're'cess and closely fitted to the rim of the collar, and

the outer edge of the extended portion being turned downwardly in front of the recess to provide a downturned h11'111@;m a111111g flange below the rim of the collar, a strap receiving loopfformed integral with'a'nd eX tending" downwardly" from the rear edge of I said reinforcin'g niember at the rear of the recess, and fastening devices securmg sald reinforcing member 'ln the recess.

In testimony that I claim tlie foregoing I v hereunto affix my signature.

PATRICK H} riroKs.

five cents each, by'addressing the Commissionerof Patents, Washington, D. 0. I 

